Plan to increase river dolphin population: Jairam
March 8th, 2011 - 6:33 pm ICT by IANSNew Delhi, March 8 (IANS) Environment and Forests Minister Jairam Ramesh Tuesday said the government had started a programme to boost population of river dolphin, the national aquatic animal of India.
Answering supplementaries in the Rajya Sabha during question hour, he said the population of dolphins in Gangetic area had been estimated between 2,000 and 3,000.
He said river dolphin was a unique heritage resource of India.
“We are in the process of recovery programme for Gangetic dolphin. The programme will be extended to Assam,” he said.
Answering another query, he said the government had sanctioned a white tiger breeding programme. However, he said that no such programme had been sanctioned for the royal Bengal tiger which did not face shortage of habitat.
To a question on encroachment in Manas National Reserve in Assam, he said it was the duty of state governments to maintain primary vigil while the central government can help with technology and other resources.
Question hour in the Rajya Sabha was held in the afternoon as Chairman Hamid Ansari last week changed its timing.
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- Over 17,000 hectares of national parks encroached: Ramesh - Aug 19, 2010
- Dolphin 'mitras', a helping hand for Ganges river dolphins - May 13, 2010
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- Bihar task force report on Ganga dolphins soon - Jul 20, 2011
- Bihar to set up dolphin conservation task force - Apr 21, 2011
- Call goes out to save the Ganges Dolphin - Feb 24, 2010
- A clean Ganga could enhance dolphins' presence in the river, says expert - Oct 11, 2009
- Tiger count up in India, but habitat shrinks (Roundup) - Mar 28, 2011
- Tiger population in India rises to 1706 - Mar 28, 2011
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Tags: aquatic animal, assam, central government, dolphin, dolphin population, dolphins, encroachment, forests, heritage resource, India, jairam ramesh, manas, New Delhi, rajya sabha, river dolphin, royal bengal tiger, state governments, tiger, vigil, white tiger